Always Been Here
by kuppcake
Summary: It's graduation day in Beacon Hills and Scott can't help but feel nostalgic and look back at everything he and the pack have overcome. With those he cares about gathered for the day, he misses a lot of people. Some who can't come back, and the one who can. Friendship/Angst/Romance, Scott/Kira,


I cranked out this quick one shot instead of working on my nanawrimo project lol. It's a little angsty as any fic looking back on Teen Wolf will probably be after all the craziness that's gone down in Beacon Hills. I don't own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters.

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The first day Scott McCall walked into Beacon Hills high school, it was just him and Stiles. They were a pair of scrawny almost fifteen year olds that had no real social lives outside of each other. The two had spent the summer begging their parents for lacrosse gear and then tried to teach themselves the sport. Scott had almost grasped the basics despite not being able to run around as much as he wanted to because of his asthma, but Stiles struggled with the average toss and catch, all the while rambling on about how he was going to impress Lydia Martin with his skills.

The night they went looking for half of Laura Hale's body in the woods had changed their lives in ways neither of them could have ever imagined. Who knew those scrawny kids could overcome everything that they had with their friends and their pack by? Deaton had said once in passing that even older packs wouldn't have survived some of the things they'd gone through.

"Scott! If you don't hurry up, you're going to be late to your own graduation!" the voice of Melissa McCall yelled from downstairs.

"Crap!" Scott said, shaking himself from his thoughts. He had been staring at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, his navy blue tie still loose around his neck.

"I'm coming!" he called as ran into his room and grabbed the same black dress shoes he had worn to prom just a few weeks earlier.

His mom was waiting at the bottom of the steps as he tried to put the shoes on his feet and walk at the same time. She raised an eyebrow at his disheveled appearance.

"I swore I ironed that shirt last night," she said.

He looked down at his white button up and rubbed the back of his head. "You did."

"What am I going to do with you?" she said shaking her head. Melissa couldn't help but reminisce silently about how small he used to be. Once upon a time he had depended on her to be fed, bathed, and changed. She remembered buying his first backpack and his "first day of school" outfit when he was five. She remembered having to explain that his father was away on another case for work and then that he was gone for good. Now, he was more than just a teenager graduating from high school. He was a True Alpha who protected not only his pack, but the entire town and **_she_** had raised him.

"Nobody will even be able to tell it's wrinkled, mom. I'll have the gown thing on anyway," he said.

She sighed putting a hand on her hip. "Fine. Please put your shoes the right way on so we can go. I've got your gown and I'm sure everyone is waiting on you, Mr. Alpha."

Of course, his mom was right. When they pulled up at the school, his friends, with their parents close by, were standing together talking and straightening their burgundy graduation gowns. Lydia was using bobby pins to secure Malia's cap and Stiles was brushing lint off of his shoulder. The only ones missing from the pack huddle were its younger members. Scott forced himself not to think about the other missing people who should be there graduating with them.

"Late on graduation day?" Lydia asked, her lips quirked up.

"Did you oversleep?" Stiles chimed in, "Because I totally almost did."

"No, I- uh, got distracted," Scott said.

He shifted uncomfortably as his pack exchanged looks.

"Are you okay?" Malia asked. She had been moving her head around to make sure the cap would stay put, but stopped when she heard his tone of voice.

"I'll be fine. Just got a little nostalgic," he said trying to give her a reassuring smile.

They all exchanged small smiles and took in the moment; each lost in their own thoughts.

"You kids should get inside so you can get lined up," the Sheriff said approaching the group.

They nodded and Stiles threw his arm around Scott and dragged him along into the gym where the senior class was crowded around and teachers tried to get them all organized.

As they stood in line to pick up their name cards, Scott couldn't help but think about all that had happened in this gym. Peter had forced him to transform the night they had been trapped in the school. The groan of the gym bleachers closing in on him was a sound he couldn't forget.

He had danced with Danny and embarrassed Coach while trying to look out for Allison at the dance.

" _Dance with me."_

" _No."_

 _Coach Finstock was marching through the crowd, all but shoving students aside to get to him._

" _Please! Right now! Right now! Come on."_

 _He grabbed Danny and pulled him onto the dance floor, wrapping his arms around his neck._

" _McCall! You're not supposed to- What the hell are you- What the hell are you doing? Yes, Coach? Okay," Coach chuckled nervously. "Hold on, you I was just saying he's not supposed to I mean, I wasn't saying that he shouldn't- You guys don't think You don't I- I was- Just dance, everybody."_

He had caught Erica just in time when she had fallen off the climbing wall and gone into an epileptic episode.

" _Put her on her side! Put her on her side!" Allison shouted._

" _How did you know?"_

" _I just felt it."_

"Too bad we have to sit in alphabetical order," Stiles said bringing Scott from his thoughts. He was almost irritated at himself for not being able to stay focused.

Scott picked up his name card from the table after Stiles and stepped out of the way so Malia could get hers.

"It's probably for the better that you two aren't side by side. You'd get in trouble before the ceremony is over," Lydia said looking for her own card.

"You're probably right," he said nodding his head.

"I usually am," she said looking up at Stiles with a smirk.

He opened his mouth to reply but closed it and narrowed his eyes at her.

"Wow, you shut him up," Malia said with a laugh.

"It's a special talent," Lydia said nudging the other girl.

"You know what? I'm glad I don't have to sit beside you guys," Stiles playfully huffed before waving the small white card at them and marching away dramatically.

The others simply laughed at his retreating form.

Some time later after all the greetings, the invocation, and a song from the choir, Lydia had given her valedictorian speech. Stiles cheered wildly at its conclusion and the guest speaker had spoken to them all about making a difference in the world. The quote that stood out the most during the speech was, "Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it."

They could have given up. Scott could have chosen to be an omega. He could have let his anger take over him and turn him into Peter. He could have used Allison's death to go somewhere dark and stay there. It would be almost too easy to do it. The gut-wrenching memory of holding her in his arms as she took her last breath threatened to him like he was small boat in the middle of the ocean during a hurricane whenever his mind recalled it. And sometimes he couldn't control it. The sight would appear in his dreams. Yet, everyday he got out of bed and kept going. He kept pushing because his pack couldn't afford for him to give in. Even when they were standing around with red puffy eyes and dark circles from lack of sleep, they were standing together as a unit.

The McCall pack had already made a huge difference. Maybe not in the world in general quite yet, but definitely in Beacon Hills. While their classmates slept, they were out so many nights making sure that the supernatural was running rampant. They had overcome more than one psycho alpha, the kanima, the Durach, the nogitsune, the deadpool, Kate Argent, and the hunt. And despite their success they hadn't all made it.

The reminder was clear as the sky on that sunny day as the principal began the next part of the ceremony.

"Over the last few years, we've dealt with the loss of bright young people who would have been graduating with you today. To honor them, the school will be giving diplomas to those students. I will start with their names and who is accepting their diploma. Allison Marie Argent."

Scott's chest ached.

"Allison's diploma will be received by her father, Chris Argent," Principal Thomas announced. A somber expression was on his face as Chris walked across the stage and shook the principal's hand.

Scott hated that nobody knew that Allison died protecting her friends, people she loved. He could smell the sadness through the chemo signals of his pack. A few students down the row from him Lydia had returned to sit with her classmates, her eyes now watering as she clenched her hands in her lap.

"Vernon Dwayne Boyd. Vernon's diploma will be accepted by his father, Xavier."

A tall, broad-shouldered, African American man in dress blues made his way across the stage. Scott imagined that even if being on the battlefield might not have been the best idea for a werewolf that Boyd would have found some way to enlist and be beneficial. If he was behind a desk, or a computer. If he became an engineer and built planes or if he went to medical school to become a doctor so he could save lives, Vernon Boyd would have been someone helping his country.

"Aiden William Cicero. Aiden's diploma will be accepted by his brother Ethan. Scott could hear both Lydia and Stiles gasp as Ethan appeared and walked onto the stage. Nobody had heard from him since he had left and Scott had often wondered if he was okay on his own. He was glad to see that he was. As he descended the stairs on the other side of the stage, Ethan locked eyes with Scott and gave a small wave that Scott returned with a smile.

"Erica Synclaire Reyes. Erica's diploma will be accepted by her mother, Silvia," Principal Thomas said. Scott had never seen the small blond woman who walked across the stage before. Her yellow sundress was a happy alternative to the current mood. The woman gave the principal a watery smile and a quick hug before grasping the diploma meant for her child.

After a moment of silence, the teachers directed the first row of students to stage to prepare to cross the stage. When Scott's row had lined up, he took a moment to look for his mother in the crowd.

When he found her, waving enthusiastically and with a bright smile, he couldn't help but do the same, especially when he saw all those surrounding her. On the row in front of her sat Mason, Corey, Hayden, Liam, and Parrish. Next to his mother sat his father Rafael on one side with video camera in his hand, Sheriff Stilinski and Deaton were seated on the other side of Melissa. Lydia's parents were sitting nearby as well. He was glad that they could get along or at least pretend to get along for Lydia today.

Scott's eyes widened when he got to the row behind her. Derek and Braeden were sitting together smiling with Isaac and Jackson on their left. Ethan had sat himself to the right of the group. The principal had just finished the last names beginning with L when Scott whisper-yelled to Lydia.

"Lydia!"

She didn't seem to hear him, so he tried again.

"Lydia!"

The girl behind her turned around and looked at him before tapping the strawberry blonde.

"McCall wants you. Please talk to him so he can shut up," the girl said.

Lydia frowned at the girl before turning her attention to Scott. "What?"

"Look who's in the crowd," he said pointing to the bleachers," he said excitedly.

She turned to see who he could be talking about. He smiled when her eyes widened and a small smile spread across her face.

The line moved forward and Lydia was forced to turn her attention to walking up the stairs beside the stage.

"Lydia Elizabeth Martin."

Scott could hear Stiles very clearly over his own yell and the other cheers that rang out. "Woooo!"

Lydia rolled her eyes but Scott didn't miss the way her cheeks turned pink.

Four students later, Scott handed his card to Principal Thomas and took a deep breath. This was his moment.

"Scott Miguel McCall."

He tried focus on walking and not falling in front of the entire town. When his diploma was securely in hand, he turned to the crowd and waved at his loved ones, the people who had supported him. Sure, he hadn't gotten along with each and every one of them from the beginning, but those relationships had changed and he couldn't be happier that they did.

Scott had been sitting back down for a while when it was his best friend's turn to cross the stage. There was a pause as the boy handed the principal his name card. Scott could hear the Sheriff sigh deeply from the crowd.

 _Don't do anything stupid, Stiles, Scott thought to himself._

"What is he doing?" Lydia whispered. Scott shrugged his shoulders

Principal Thomas leaned away from the microphone and towards the young man. Scott was once again thankful for his enhanced hearing. "Why'd you cross out your name?"

"Oh, I don't go by that and you won't be able to pronounce it. There's a reason why nobody calls me that. Thought I would make it easier for everyone involved," Stiles explained shrugging his shoulders.

Thomas eyed the teen before sighing and righting himself again.

"Stiles Stilinski," the man announced sounding almost exhausted.

Scott jumped up and cheered as his spastic best friend all but skipped across the stage. He knew that most of the staff would be happy to see the pair of them go.

Malia was the last of their group to be called. "Malia Bethany Tate." Scott smiled as he recalled Malia's relief months ago that she was going to graduate with them. She had put in so much hard work over the last year, outside of all their supernatural craziness, to make it happen.

As the ceremony ended, the four quickly broke rank from the processional and made their way to their families, pack mates, and missed friends. Malia quickly engulfed Derek in a hug, the man chuckling at her excitement.

"Glad to have a non-crazy family member in town," Malia said.

"Glad to be here," Derek replied with a smile.

Behind them Melissa wrapped her son in a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart!" she said.

"Thanks, mom. I wouldn't be here without you so you should be proud of yourself too," he said.

She pulled back and placed her forehead against his. "I did good, didn't I? I mean of course, not including at the other stuff I had no control of," she said with a chuckle.

"You did good even with that stuff," he reassured her. She smiled before stepping back to let everyone else pass along their congratulations. His father was the first to approach. Their relationship wasn't rainbows and sunshine but it had gotten better.

There were hugs, laughter, and bright smiles all around. Liam, Mason, and Hayden had squeezed Scott in between their trio, leaving Corey to laugh at their antics. Isaac and Jackson had planned to catch up Scott's graduation gathering later that evening so they could exchange stories about Paris, London, and everything they had missed back home. Chris Argent even joined the group, passing his congratulations along to the graduating pack members. They had all given him sad smiles when he said, "She would have been proud of you all."

Scott made his way over to Derek who was frowning down at Stiles, Braeden standing beside him and hiding her laughter behind a hand. The older beta looked over as Scott placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Nice to see you man," Scott said with a grin.

"Good to see you too, unlike some still sarcastic people," he said staring pointedly at Stiles for a moment before turning back to the young alpha.

Stiles squawked behind him but turned away from the pair when Lydia called his name from where she was standing with Ethan.

"Congratulations, Scott," Braeden said. She gave Scott a hug. "Thanks, Braeden," he said.

"You're all grown up now," she said, wiping a fake tear. Scott rolled his eyes and laughed.

Braeden smiled and looked between the two. "I'll let you two talk," she said.

She gave Derek's hand a squeeze as she walked by.

"Congratulations," Derek said.

"Thanks. There were a few times when I thought I wouldn't make it...that'd another one of us wouldn't be here today. But here we are," Scott said.

"And it's just the beginning," Derek said patting him on the shoulder, "So, your middle name is Miguel?" he continued.

Scott couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, you didn't think Stiles just came up with that off the top of his head do you?" he said.

Derek rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't underestimate Stiles' ability to surprise us," he said.

Scott smiled as he took in the positive energy surrounding them. As he took in each face, he thought about someone who was still alive, but wasn't here. Someone who should be graduating today. His brain was clearly trying to ruin his day.

"What's wrong?" Derek said noticing the young alpha's fallen expression.

"I wish Kira was here," he said forlornly.

"Well, I'm not a wish granting factory, but I could do a little magic trick if you'd turn around," Stiles said shoving himself between the two wolves.

Scott furrowed his eyebrows and his sad expression turned to confusion.

"What are you talking about?" he said.

Stiles sighed. "Just turn around, dude!" he said throwing his arms into the air in exasperation.

Scott decided to play along and turned around.

When he caught sight of her, he felt the air leave his body. Her smile was bright, like the quirky patterned sky blue sundress she wore. _She's still the same. Still beautiful_ , he thought to himself.

Before he could even think about it, he was running through the crowd to get to her. She did the same. When they collided, Scott quickly picked her up and spun her around. She let out a loud laugh.

"You're here!"

"I am. I couldn't miss today," she said.

He sat her back on the ground and pressed a deep kiss to her lips. It caused a familiar warmth to ignite in his chest. It brought a comfort that he had missed deeply. It was one of the feeling that kept his head above water when he felt like he was drowning.

When he finally forced himself to pull away, he simply held her face in his hands and stared at her.

"I still can't believe you're here; real and in front me," he breathed lowly.

"I'm here. I've always been here. Even if you didn't see me I was sending you love and thinking about you," she said placing a hand on his cheek.

"I missed you. I love you," he said.

Kira smiled at his words. He could see that she was relieved that his feelings for her hadn't changed.

"I love you too," she breathed. "And I missed you too, every day."

The pair stood for a moment before they heard Malia yell across the crowd.

"Stop hogging Kira, Scott!"

They pulled back from each other laughing. Scott released her face only to grab her hand.

"Let's get this reunion on the road, shall we?" he said.

"We shall," she said.

He pulled her through the crowd, back towards their pack.

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Thanks for reading. I apologize for any spelling or grammatical errors that I may have missed!

With Teen Wolf premiering so soon, I got a little bit nostalgic. The show premiered the summer before I started college and now I'm out of college doing this adult thing. Hopefully Jeff has written us a proper, full ending that won't leave a bunch of loose ends. I thought it would be funny to have Scott's middle name be Miguel. Please leave a review! Tell about your experience with Teen Wolf (your favorite characters, episode, how you've changed from the start of the show to now, etc.) P.S. the quote from the graduation is belongs to Dennis P. Kimbro.

-K


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